Amnesia
by Reverencex
Summary: A car accident leaves Bella with no memory and no idea of what's in store for her.
1. Wake Up

She woke in a daze, her thoughts muddled. She didn't want to wake up; her head was throbbing, though she couldn't remember why. _Oh well,_ she shrugged it off. It couldn't have been that important if she didn't remember it immediately.

As she began to pull her stiff body together enough to move about, her eyes twitched into a squint against the bright light that shone through her eyelids. Perhaps this is what had woken her up. Something about it made her realize she wasn't at home in her bedroom – the glow was strong enough to be daylight, but too white to be real. Reluctantly, she pulled her eyes open and took in the sight before her.

What she saw did not please her. A word flagged up in her memory that instantly annoyed her - _hospital_. Everything was a sterile white, from the sheets on the bed that she lay in, to the walls that contained her in this small, stifling space, to the very light that had awoken her. It was so vivid that it took her a moment longer than it should've to get her groundings and her eyes adjust to the light to take in the minute details of the room.

She sat up with a grunt, her head swimming slightly from the noxious hospital fumes. Her annoyance hadn't passed yet, and she doubted it would until she was out of this place. Her clothes lay at the foot of her bed, nicely folded for her. That seemed as good a place to start as any. The starchy gown she wore was even more annoying than the room, and she scrambled out of the bed to get it off.

The curtain that ran along the front of the room was drawn back, announcing her wake up to everyone in the hallway beyond the window. As she approached it, three people turned to watch her intently. Two of them were boys around her age and with them stood a blonde doctor in a lab coat. They didn't bother to hide the fact that they were staring. She ignored them and yanked the curtain closed. "Rude," she mumbled as she grabbed her things.

As she put her jacket on, she heard a familiar jingling in her pocket. _Car keys_, her mind crowed. She took them out and studied them, feeling momentarily baffled. She didn't remember driving herself here, which was odd. Maybe she'd bumped her head, a nearly everyday occurrence for her klutzy self, and it'd been bad enough where she'd had to drive herself here to get checked out. They'd probably sedated her to keep her overnight. Maybe that's why she felt so groggy and sluggish. She craved her own soft bed at home, to be able to stretch out and doze off comfortably. She nodded, shoving the keys back into her pocket. It would be best if she went home and laid down for the rest of the day, and she felt up to the drive. So she headed for the door, eager to be out of this aggravating little room.

When she opened the door, she saw the three men from before standing a few feet away. As the door clicked shut behind her, all three pairs of eyes locked on her. She glared back at them, outraged at their obvious lack of manners. She took in their appearances more in detail this time. The man in the white coat was noticeably older than the other two younger boys. He and the shorter boy had pale skin and remarkable yellow eyes, while the tallest boy was the visual opposite with black hair and pleasant, russet skin. They were all undeniably, breathtakingly beautiful.

It took a moment longer than it should've for her to take her eyes off of them and gather her thoughts enough to trudge around their little group. She heard them exchange heated, hushed whispers as she retreated, but didn't take notice when they fell silent. She was concentrating on her car now, adamant to get to it before anyone else began gawking at her.

With a sigh of relief, she made it to the front doors and out into the parking lot, grateful for the moist gush of air that stung her face. She walked about halfway down the rows of vehicles before realizing the one she was looking for, the one she knew was hers, was not there. She frowned, her eyes scanning and rescanning row to row desperately. _Oh no... _she moaned internally, biting down hard on her lip with worry.

"If you're looking for your truck," a deep voice sounded behind her, "it's at my place."

She whirled around to see the tall, tanned boy from outside her room staring at her. He was smiling. Behind him, the beautiful pale boy was approaching but stopped in his tracks the moment she saw him. The doctor who'd been with them earlier was not in sight. She didn't reply.

"Come on," the taller of the two called, waving at her. "I'll give you a ride to get your truck."

She squinted but didn't say anything.

"I'm the... mechanic that's going to fix up your ride," he sighed exasperatedly.

A little red flag popped up again in her head. _Mechanic_ and this boy seemed to fit together. Instinct told her to trust him. But something wasn't adding up.

"Why does my truck need to be fixed?" she called back to him.

He paused, choosing his words carefully by the looks of things. "Why do you think you're in the hospital in the first place?"

That made sense. So a car accident had landed her in here. Yeah, that sounded typical of her and very believable. Without another word, she followed him to a high, dark-colored pickup truck. Behind them, the pale boy followed quickly and silently. The tanned mechanic opened the passenger side door for her, but glared furiously when the bronze-haired, pale-skinned boy made to get in the back seat.

"No one said I was giving you a ride, Cullen," he spat.  
><em><br>Cullen_. Another red flag. The name ignited something deep down in her core, something that made her want to reach out and touch him. She caught her hand stretching out towards him and reeled back. Cullen seemed pleased at her reaction, but her mechanic looked truly upset. She didn't know whether to apologize or smile.

"I think she wants me to come along," Cullen smirked.

"Don't you wish," the mechanic grunted.

"Hang on a second," she interrupted. They looked like they were ready to rip each others' throats out, and she wasn't having that. Not until she had some answers. "Now, I don't know what's going on here, but I'm really confused and feeling kind of fuzzy. I just want my truck, and you can answer some questions along the way. And he needs to help," she said with a nod at Cullen. "So I'm not going anywhere unless he comes with us."

"Bella, just why do you think we're here?" Cullen asked quietly, his voice turning into soft velvety tones.

"I don't really know. Wait, Bella?" she asked, puzzled. "Who's Bella?"

This time, the two boys exchanged nervous, knowing glances. The mechanic sighed and walked around to the driver's side while Cullen looked down at her concernedly. "You are."

"Maybe you should get in," the russet mechanic said in a rush. "We'll explain everything on the way."

She stood there, lost in shock, before she hiked herself into the cab of the truck. She waited until they'd pulled out of the parking lot before vocalizing her question. "Why don't I remember my name?"

"Bella, you have to promise us you won't get hysterical," Cullen said from the backseat. "You need to stay calm while we explain, alright?"

She nodded as the mechanic cast an evil look into the rear view mirror. "She'd not a child, so don't treat her like one. She can handle this."

She looked back and forth between them, trying to make sense of something that conflicted her head and her heart. "You two are more than just my mechanics, aren't you?" she whispered. "I know you, don't I?"

"Yes," Cullen whispered. "You do."

"Then why don't I remember?" she asked again, her voice faltering.

Cullen looked like he was about to answer, but the boy to her left spoke first. "There was an... accident," he said slowly.

"What kind of an accident?"

"A car accident," he said, very matter-of-fact.

"But what kind? Head on collision, fender-bender?"

He sighed. "Someone clipped you on your left side and spun you into a ditch. You bumped your head pretty hard."

"Who hit me?"

The boys exchanged another unhappy glance before the taller of the two spoke up. "I did."

"You? What?" Yes, she was totally lost now. Before they could continue, she went on. "Okay, wait a minute. I think I'd remember who hit me. I think I'd remember you two if I knew you before the accident. I know I do, but I don't remember how. I think I'd know my own name, at the very least."

The smooth velvet of his voice didn't lessen the blow his words sent. "Bella... you have some sort of amnesia."

Bella sat in silence for an immeasurable length of time before she could find her voice again. "How - how bad is it?"

"You're fine," the driver said reassuringly. "Physically, anyway. You're just going to feel a little fuzzy, like you said, for a couple of days."

"We don't know that," Cullen said, cutting him off. "It could take a week, a month. Maybe longer."  
><em><br>Longer? _The question was silent but rang in her ears like a church bell.

"We don't know that either!" The driver yelled. "So stop filling her head with your load of crap!"

Then she heard something from behind her that sent shivers up her spine - a low, beastly growl that could've belonged to a mountain lion. She spun around, half expecting one to be lurking in the backseat. But there was only Cullen, an animalistic expression plastered on his hate-filled face. His gaze was boring right into the back of the driver's head. If looks could kill, he surely would've been dead. She twisted back around, thoroughly unnerved. The mechanic's face was pure calm, with only his gleaming eyes betraying his displeasure. Otherwise, he seemed completely unfazed by the hideous growl that was directed right at him. Maybe this was why he hadn't wanted him to come.

She turned her attention to the road in front of her, not looking at either of them as she spoke. "How long until we're there?"

Cullen sat quietly, his growl having faded. The driver was the one to cast a wary glance in her direction. She didn't let her face betray any emotion, and he seemed satisfied enough to answer. "Not long," he muttered, turning back to the road.

She sighed with relief. How had she managed to go from annoyed to petrified in such a short amount of time? Had it really been less than an hour ago when she was still lying in her hospital bed?  
><em><br>Maybe I should've taken my chances with the hospital_, she thought wearily as the sped towards their destination.


	2. Aware

After fifteen or so very strained minutes of silence, they pulled over in front of a small red house with a garage sitting somewhat hidden behind it. Just visible were two banged up vehicles, a small black Volkswagen and a badly dented old red pickup. She instinctively knew which one was hers.

"So mine's the red truck, right?" she asked as they stepped out of the vehicle and walked towards the wrecked cars.

"Yup," the russet boy confirmed. "The old man's yours and the Rabbit's mine."

"Hey - don't hate the truck," she joked. He returned a grin as she walked over to inspect the damages. The car's headlights were smashed and there was some serious front-end crunching. And there it was. The dent on her driver's side that confirmed his story. He must have clipped her at a pretty high speed, and there was a lot to be fixed.

"Doesn't look real pretty, does it?" said a familiar voice she, of course, didn't know who it belonged to. She spun, seeing a man wheel himself out of the red house towards them. "You guys did a number on them. But don't worry Bella, we can save your baby," he assured her with a wink.

She didn't know what to say. "Oh - okay, thank you," she stammered.

"And I just got off the phone with your dad," the man said. Her dad? What? "He says you don't remember anything at all."

She decided to just go along with it. "No," she replied, shaking her head slowly. "Nothing."

"Then let me save you the trouble" he said, offering his hand with a smile. She felt the two boys behind her stiffen as she shook it. "I'm Billy Black, a long-time friend of your dad's. That's my son, Jacob," he said pointedly, gesturing past her.

She turned to look back at them, peering at the taller, darker of the two and tried out the name. "Jacob." She nodded. It sounded right to her.

Jacob looked from her to the other pale boy and back again. "How did you know which?"

Bella let a small chuckle escape the deeper region of her throat, keeping the laugh private and muted. "It's not exactly a tough call. There's a remarkable resemblance, wouldn't you say?" That brought a genuine smile to his face. It was so stunning that she was briefly bemused. Her eyes shifted to Cullen, who was leaning up against her truck, out of the way, as if the warm, friendly circle the Blacks had extended to her did not include him. "Who are you?" she directed at him.

His golden topaz eyes widened a little in surprise at being spoken to, and he fixed them on her before speaking.

"Edward Cullen."

A thousand tiny red flags flew up in her head. _Edward Cullen_. The name had tangible importance. It angered her that she couldn't remember why.

Edward straightened up and walked over to her. The Blacks recoiled slightly from his sudden nearness, and Bella had the sense that there was something much more than dislike between them. Foreboding maybe, or even fear. His eyes burned with a fierce intensity, as if he was trying to silently tell her everything he knew. Even the way his hand brushed against hers seemed to convey a secret meaning. "Bella," he breathed. "Do you know me?"

"Yes." She knew that much for sure. "I just don't know how."

In a weird way, he seemed both pleased and disappointed with her response. His eyes softened, but his face fell too.

"I hate to ruin the moment," Billy said thickly. "But Charlie said your father wants you back at the hospital, Edward. He asked me to tell you, 'there's something you should know.'"

Edward turned to gaze at Billy for several seconds before nodding. "Alright," he finally agreed. He took something from his pocket and placed it in her hand. A small, silver phone. "If you need me, for any reason at all, call Carlisle. It's already programmed in the phone. The first letter's-"

"C," Bella interrupted. "Yeah, I know."

Again, Edward looked happy yet sad. She wondered what she kept saying to provoke such a reaction. Before she could ask he pressed his lips to her forehead. There was an odd noise somewhere to her right - had Jacob's jaw just popped? Bella closed her eyes as his lips, so frigidly cold, pulled away. She heard his melodic voice near her ear whisper, "Be careful." She'd expected him to go right on kissing her - or had she only hoped? - but instead when she opened her eyes he's disappeared. She looked around, wondering how he was getting back to the hospital. Was he walking? She didn't hear an engine start, or see any bikes.

"Come on in Bella," Billy called, already heading back inside. "I'll put on a pot of coffee."

She blinked and tried to sort out her frazzled thoughts, but didn't manage so well. It didn't make any sense.

Bella felt an oversized hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine," Jake murmured, too low for Billy to hear. "Come on, I've got some soda inside. Let's go chill for a while."

She started to argue, but the look on his face silenced her. She nodded and resigned to follow him into the house.

The interior matched the outside – a little cramped to fit someone as tall as Jacob, but quaint and cozy nonetheless. She sat down on the sofa next while Jacob pulled two sodas out of the fridge and his dad ran the water into the sink to fill the coffeepot. He brought her a green can filled with something that smelled very appealing to her empty stomach. She sipped it gratefully while he plopped down beside her. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay. Things are just... fuzzy. It kind of feels like a headache," she explained, "but it doesn't hurt."

"You want any aspirin for it, just in case?" he offered.

"No thanks." She couldn't help but smile softly to herself. Why was this boy being so sweetly attentive? Was he trying to apologize for hitting her in the first place?

"You hit your head pretty hard, you know," he said for the second time. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did have a headache."

She wasn't interested in the pain. She was more concerned with how it had happened. "Where did my head hit?" she asked.

"It bounced right off the steering wheel, from what I could see," he said thoughtfully. "And when you rolled, the windshield exploded right in your face. It's a miracle you still have one."

Unconsciously, she lifted a hand to her face and started tracing around, looking for a cut or a bruise.

"There was a lot of blood…" he trailed off, raising a hand to where hers searched her skin. His fingertips brushed her hairline, where a rush of heat began to flow from. She recoiled automatically.

"Ouch! It's still tender," she exclaimed in shock. "I can't believe the thing just heated up like that!"

"Oh no, that's just me," he laughed. He laughed harder when he saw the look she gave him. "No really, it is! See?" He took her hand in his and it exploded with heat just as her forehead had. What she'd mistaken for pain was actually his body temperature.

"Oh my God," she said in awe. She raised her free hand to the scorching skin above his eyes. "Are you sick?"

"No," he chuckled. "This is normal for me. I'm always this toasty warm."

"This isn't normal for anyone," she argued.

"Sure, sure," he said dismissively.

Bella sighed. "I have a question. You don't have to answer me, but I want to say it out loud."

"What is it?"

"How many more times am I going to get blown away today by something out of the ordinary?"

Jake, for some reason, seemed amused by her question. "I thought you were good with weird."

"I can deal with it," she assured him. "I'm not worried about going into an overload of out of the ordinary phenomenon. But there's something else happening underneath the surface, and so far no one's volunteered to share it with me. I'm just curious as to how much longer you guys plan on keeping me out of the dark."

Jake bellowed a laugh. Bella frowned at him. "No, don't be angry," he chuckled. "But just how long have you been awake for?"

"About an hour. Why?"

He shook his head, laughing to himself. "I'll have to let Sam know that we're not doing a very good job of keeping things hushed up." He eyed her with an approving look. "You've been awake a whole hour and you already know we're hiding something."

"Jake," Billy cautioned from the kitchen.

"Dad, she already _knows_. She just doesn't remember yet. Why should I bother not telling her?"

"Then let her remember on her own," he ordered. "Or better yet, let the bloodsuckers tell her. Let it be on their head, not yours Jake."

"Bloodsuckers?" Bella repeated.

"Damn it!" Billy slammed his fist down on the table.

"Nice one, Dad," Jake jokingly accused his father. "Way to let the cat out of the bag."

"Damn kids," Billy huffed as he rolled himself into the hallway. Bella flinched when she heard his bedroom door shut behind him. Jake rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't pay any attention to him," he grinned. "He's just mad that it's going to be on his conscience now and not mine."

"But wait. I still don't understand."

"I'll fill in the gaps," he told her, getting to his feet. "Let's go for a walk. I don't think you want to be anywhere near Crabby today." He pointed his thumb in the direction of Billy's room.

No, she did not. She rose without any further argument and followed his gigantic form down the trail behind his house. They weren't even in the woods five minutes before Bella could see a beautiful line of sand and rocks that met a clear, blue lake. There were cliffs built up around some of the shore, but where they were walking towards was all gradually inclined down to the water's edge. It was gorgeous.

Jake walked over to a large piece of driftwood that had washed up on shore and perched himself on one side of it. He patted the spot beside him, looking back at her. She shyly scooted onto it next to him, not caring that he leaned in towards her when he started to speak. "So, Miss Swan, what part of the story would you like to hear first?"

"The part where you tell me exactly who you are."


End file.
